How to Identify a Prestel Publishing (Prestel Verlag) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• The colophon/copyright page states the year; a first printing shows the first-published year with no reprint or revised-edition line — this is the primary tell.
• Some modern Prestel titles carry a number line; where present, the lowest number indicates the printing. Where absent, rely on the first-published year and the absence of a reprint statement.
• German- and English-language editions of a title are separate issues; the language and place-of-publication line on the colophon identifies which is which, and the true first depends on which market was published first.
• Reprints and new editions are stated explicitly on the colophon.

Notable points & cautions

• Founded 1924 in Frankfurt (named for the 18th-century engraver Johann Gottlieb Prestel); later headquartered in Munich, with a London branch. Now an imprint within Penguin Random House (sold 2006) — a corporate-parent line on the colophon dates a modern issue.
• German and English editions of the same Prestel title often appear in sequence or simultaneously; the genuine first depends on which language/market came first for that title.
• Prestel co-publishes museum catalogues; co-edition colophons should be matched to the Prestel first-published year.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Prestel, Prestel Verlag, Prestel (Penguin Random House parent), Prestel Junior (children's art books). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Prestel Publishing (Prestel Verlag) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. The colophon/copyright page states the year; a first printing shows the first-published year with no reprint or revised-edition line — this is the primary tell. Some modern Prestel titles carry a number line; where present, the lowest number indicates the printing. Where absent, rely on the first-published year and the absence of a reprint statement.

Does Prestel Publishing (Prestel Verlag) use a number line?

Some modern Prestel titles carry a number line; where present, the lowest number indicates the printing. Where absent, rely on the first-published year and the absence of a reprint statement.

Is a book-club edition a Prestel Publishing (Prestel Verlag) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1924 in Frankfurt (named for the 18th-century engraver Johann Gottlieb Prestel); later headquartered in Munich, with a London branch. Now an imprint within Penguin Random House (sold 2006) — a corporate-parent line on the colophon dates a modern issue.

What era does this cover?

This covers Prestel Publishing (Prestel Verlag) (1924–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.